Theme 1 Intro
Summary
At the opening of the inaugural Civic Design Conference, the curators, including Ariel and Sarah, reflect on the extensive preparation and collaboration involved in shaping the event. They emphasize the shared journey among civic designers committed to human-centered design principles aimed at building accessible, equitable futures. The day features Christian from Denmark, a pioneer in defining civic design, alongside speakers whose stories span different government levels and countries. Highlights include a discussion on executing diversity and inclusion plans inspired by a newly elected president's mandate, two Belgian designers leveraging the COVID-19 crisis to advance digital service inclusion amid a policy of equality rather than equity, and a case from British Columbia showing responsive design during a migrant crisis. Mexican designers working with their Ministry of Culture demonstrate institutionalizing design thinking in government. The session concludes with a panel of women leaders from Philadelphia, New York City, and Montgomery County design labs discussing common challenges and unique approaches, followed by a talk on sustaining civic design impact beyond individual projects. Throughout, the conference presents civic design as an interdependent, non-linear journey fueled by collaboration, empathy, and resilience.
Key Insights
-
•
Civic design work is a continuous journey without a fixed destination, emphasizing ongoing improvement over final success.
-
•
Collaboration among civic designers brings out the best results even amid challenges and failures.
-
•
Christian from Denmark offers a pioneering and clarifying definition of civic design, helping consolidate its emerging field.
-
•
The conference gathered and curated over 150 proposals, reflecting a broad and diverse civic design community.
-
•
Designers in Belgium used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to push for inclusion in digital service delivery in a country focused on equality rather than equity.
-
•
Quick empathetic design responses were critical during British Columbia’s migrant food supply crisis.
-
•
Mexico’s Ministry of Culture is institutionalizing design thinking to empower government-led problem solving through designers.
-
•
Design labs in local governments like Philadelphia, NYC, and Montgomery County share common goals but adapt uniquely to their contexts.
-
•
The conference stresses the importance of sustaining and building upon civic design work for long-term impact beyond individual efforts.
-
•
Civic designers work at national, state, local, and enterprise levels but share a unified vision for inclusive, accessible public services.
Notable Quotes
"Today marks both an end and a beginning for civic design as a field and community."
"We are not doing this because it’s fun, though it can be joyful, but because we know failure and success both bring us closer."
"The metaphorical string of interdependence connects all our civic design efforts."
"Christian from Denmark helped us recognize but also clarify what we mean by civic design."
"Two designers in Belgium seized a COVID moment to advance inclusion in digital public services where equality, not equity, is the policy."
"Empathy and swift processes were necessary to support thousands of migrants securing food during the pandemic in British Columbia."
"The Ministry of Culture in Mexico is creating spaces and policies for designers to solve government challenges using design thinking."
"Design labs in Philadelphia, New York City, and Montgomery County reflect much of America’s local government design work."
"There is really no destination in our work, only a journey to improve the world one project at a time."
"Sustaining civic design work beyond ourselves ensures that change lasts and grows."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Either you need accessibility now or you will need accessibility in the future."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"If you skip iterative testing, you risk building features nobody really wants."
Prayag Narula Hannah HudsonEmpowering Designers to do Good Research
March 11, 2022
"When I first started, I felt like I had this little superpower that nobody else really knew about."
Janelle EstesUX Research Trends
January 28, 2021
"Finding a leadership champion and building on small wins creates momentum for integrating research and content."
Craig Brookes Andreas Huebner Morgan Quinn"Just Make it Look Good" and Other Ways We're Misunderstood
June 11, 2021
"If you don’t feel connected and you’re standing alone, the challenge looks much bigger."
Marc Fonteijn Ru ButlerIncrease your confidence, influence, and impact (through a Professional Community)
December 3, 2024
"Designing the service so the team can be efficient and impactful is essential — otherwise you just move the inefficiency around."
Kate TowseyThe State of ResearchOps: More Than Just Theory
June 20, 2019
"When we’re not safe, our thinking brain — the neocortex — shuts down and operating IQ drops by half."
Alla WeinbergDesign Teams Need Psychological Safety: Here’s How to Create It
September 9, 2022
"Designers contribute experimental patterns back to the design system early, making their work visible even before full validation."
Shawna Hein Kevin HoffmanCreate a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
November 17, 2022
"Positive mutual regard helps uncover root causes behind people’s behaviors to build collaboration rather than combat."
Tricia WangSCALE: Discussion
June 15, 2018
